Advocates for books that matter.

Jason Morgan Ward

Winner of the 2017 Nonfiction Award, Mississippi Society of Arts and Letters

Winner of the 2017 McLemore Prize, Mississippi Historical Society

"Jason Morgan Ward delves deep into the violent heart of one rural county in Mississippi to tell a powerful and provocative story. Two lynchings, six victims, and generations of terror, trauma,and lies--this book excavates key truths about the politics and culture of white supremacy, as the ever-present threat of murder evolved into subtler attacks on African Americans. HangingBridge tells a ghost story that continues to haunt us--absolutely unforgettable." - Daniel J. Sharfstein, author of The Invisible Line: A Secret History of Race in America

"Jason Ward has written a compelling account of racist atrocities in an obscure Mississippi county in the early twentieth century, reminding us once again that for many white Americans, black lives have never mattered. But this is also the story of local people coming to grips with this legacy of terror, overcoming it, and demanding their freedom. Hanging Bridge, then, is both a sobering and inspiring book, solidly researched and beautifully written." - John Dittmer, author of Local People:The Struggle for Civil Rights in Mississippi

"Hanging Bridge is a beautifully written, harrowing story of America's bloody history of racial violence and the long African American struggle for freedom.The horrific crimes committed on a lonely bridge in Shubuta, Mississippi will haunt America until we come to terms with our past--a past that is more terrible and less hopeful than many realize." - Danielle McGuire, author of At the Dark End of theStreet: Black Women, Rape and Resistance--a New History of the Civil Rights Movement from Rosa Parks to the Rise of Black Power